21 Fraud
"[Phantom Blade:. Strike]!" Edward bellowed as he brought down his blade with all his might.
The resulting blast tore through the room, obliterating its walls and wreaking havoc.
~BOOOOOOOOMMM!~
Smoke billowed, obscuring the surroundings, and the room's furniture and decorations lay in ruins.
"Huff. Huff," Edward panted, indicating his exhaustion.
He had expended a tremendous amount of energy in that last attack, determined to finish off Elish, his opponent.
"Anything less, and that bastard might've survived," he remarked with a faint smile.
Edward scanned the spot where his enemy had stood moments ago, finding nothing left. He felt assured of his victory.
"This blade rends everything, even down to the smallest detail. There should be nothing left of him now. I must admit, he was indeed a formidable foe. Only three people have pushed me to use that move," he grimaced.
Turning his attention to the cowering Nobleman behind him, Edward smiled at the sight.
"What a fortunate turn of events!" he whispered to himself.
'With this accomplishment, I'll ascend even higher in rank. At this rate, it won't be long before I become a High-ranking Knight. This brings me one step closer to becoming the Chief Knight!'
His grin grew wider as he slowly considered all the prospects that were tied to this single action he had performed.
'I can't mess things up now…'
Edward then worked to reassure the Nobleman, signifying his victory.
"It's over now, Milord. I have vanquished the enemy. I apologize for not holding back to capture him alive. He proved more dangerous than I had anticipated," Edward said in a tone of reverence.
"Whaaaaat? I wanted to torture him a bit, but it's fine. You've done me a great service. I'll be sure to reward you generously, Noble Knight!"
"Thank you, sir," Edward replied with a concealed smile.
'What a fool. How shameless these nobles can be,' he thought to himself.
All one really had to do with these kinds of people was butter them up by giving reverent tones and honey-coated words.
It always worked for him… every single time.
'A few seconds ago, he looked as helpless as a drowned rat, but now he acts all mighty and proud. Well, as long as I get my promotion, I don't care,' Edward mused.
With the mission complete, all that was left was cleanup. Needless to say, they were done here.
"Sir, why don't we—" As Edward was speaking, he suddenly felt a presence behind him.
'H-huh…?'
His eyes widened, recognizing the familiar presence that had accompanied him throughout the battle. Only this time, it felt even stronger.
Slowly, he turned, dreading what he might find.
"Huh, was that your hidden move? Your ace?" the voice emanated from behind him through the smoke and dust that filled the room.
"I-Impossible..." Edward stammered as he identified the voice. What he was seeing shouldn't have been possible by any means.
The one who spoke… was none other than HIM—the man who had dared challenge his Phantom Blade.
"Seems rather feeble if you ask me," Elish declared, triumphantly stepping out of the wreckage behind and around him
"H-How can this be? I was sure I had hit you for sure!" Edward stuttered, his eyes widening even more in disbelief.
That last attack should have obliterated the enemy, yet why was he standing before him unharmed?
"You know, I've finally figured out the secret behind your fancy weapon," Elish said, tossing Edward's sheath back to him.
The sheath landed beside Edward, but he didn't spare it a glance. Instead, he rose from his crouched position, maintaining a guarded stance.
"You're bluffing!" Edward retorted.
"W-What's going on here? I thought you killed him!!!" the Nobleman interjected, his panic growing. However, Edward ignored him, keeping his focus on Elish.
"You, what did you do?" He demanded, pointing his weapon toward Elish.
"You know, I really don't like how you point that silly weapon at me," Elish said menacingly, causing Edward to shiver slightly and lower his blade, though he remained on guard.
"That's better," Elish smiled. "Regarding your weapon, your enemies assume it ignores distance and lands a hit on a person, regardless of evasion. Isn't that right? Honestly, I fell for that assumption initially."
Sweat trickled down Edward's face as he remained silent, confirming Elish's point.
"However, that's not the case at all," Elish continued. "Your blade merely projects invisible slashes toward your enemies. You target your opponents and unleash these blades at them. Since they can't be seen or sensed, it appears as an instant strike, even though it's nothing more than a glorified long-range slash."
"Hmph, what evidence do you have for such a theory?" Edward responded nervously.
"Your facial expression tells it all, Knight," Elish wanted to say, but he chose to go for a more definitive reveal.
"You gave yourself away," were the words he uttered to Edward instead.
"I... I did?" Edward replied, trying to comprehend Elish's words.
"After attempting and failing to land decisive hits on me, you mentioned 'missing me,' saying things like 'I missed.' However, if your blade genuinely ignored distance and evasion, there's no way you could have missed me; the attack would have connected," Elish explained.
Edward was taken aback by Elish's analysis.
"But there's no way I landed a clean hit! Even after our exchange, you remain unscathed. I never once saw you sustain any damage," he protested.
Elish agreed, saying, "Yes, that's true. I'm unharmed after our confrontation, but not because your attacks didn't connect with me."
"That's a lie! You're lying!" Edward exclaimed, his composure crumbling.
"It's just that your attacks were too feeble. None of them possessed the strength to harm me," Elish stated bluntly.
"That can't be! You're lying! How can a Grade Three relic not inflict damage on you? It's Grade three, damn it!" Edward shouted, losing his composure.
'Grade three? Intriguing. I must retrieve this man's memories,' Elish thought to himself that very instant.
The man before him already seemed to be unraveling. It appeared their confrontation wouldn't take very long, after all.
"You act as though your weapon is something extraordinary… "
"Shut up! What do you know? Do you comprehend the effort it took me to acquire this Relic? How many bastards and idiot nobles, like this one, I had to curry favor with to ascend to this point?" Edward yelled at Elish.
"H-Hey! How dare you ca..." the Nobleman began to protest, but before he could conclude, Edward turned to him with a menacing, murderous gaze.
"Shut up," He snapped at the portly, terrified man. "Or I'll kill you!"
His bloodshot eyes and desperate face sent the right message to the Nobleman, instantly causing him to fall silent.
'Finally, the Knight revealing his true colors,' Elish noted with a smile.
Humans tended to be like this when their backs were pushed against the wall. The pious, holy Imperial Knight turned out to be the same as everyone else.
A pretender hungry for power.
"I prefer this version of you," he quipped.
"I don't care," Edward replied, taking on an assault stance. "I don't care anymore. I'm going to kill you. Nothing will stand between me and my promotion!"
"Haa… is that so?" Elish sighed.
It wasn't that he didn't appreciate determination, but when someone became ignorant of their position, it was his responsibility to teach them their rightful place.
"You certainly have a lot of confidence in your blade," he commented.
"Of course! It's one of the best!" Edward exclaimed.
"Is it?" Elish questioned.
"The Phantom Blade is a Grade Three relic, damn it! You have no idea how powerful it is! I'm going all out now!"
"You say it is, but… it appears to be nothing more than a slightly better blade compared to a mere weapon."
"W-what? You—!"
"Your Phantom Blade is weak. You've been sold nothing but a fraud."
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[A/N]
Since it's my birthday today, I'm going to be mass-releasing for the next couple of days
Enjoy!
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